Manuscript
late 16th century: from medieval Latin manuscriptus, from manu ‘by hand’ + scriptus ‘written’ (past participle of scribere ).
wiktionary
1597, from Medieval Latin manuscriptum(“writing by hand”), a calque of Germanic origin: compare Middle High German hantschrift, hantgeschrift(“manuscript”) (c. 1450), Old English handġewrit(“what is written by hand, deed, contract, manuscript”) (before 1150), Old Norse handrit(“manuscript”) (before 1300), equivalent to Latin manu(ablative of manus(“hand”)) + Latin scriptus(past participle of scribere(“to write”)). Not found in Classical Latin.
etymonline
manuscript (n.)
"book, paper, or other document written by hand with ink, pencil, etc.," as distinguished from anything printed, especially one written before the use of printing, c. 1600, earlier as an adjective, "written with the hand, handwritten, not printed" (1590s ), from Medieval Latin manuscriptum "document written by hand," from Latin manu scriptus "written by hand," from manu, ablative of manus "hand" (from PIE root *man- (2) "hand") + scriptus (neuter scriptum), past participle of scribere "to write" (from PIE root *skribh- "to cut"). The abbreviation is MS, plural MSS. Related: Manuscriptal.
